Thursday, March 15, 2012

Cobble Cavern--Blog Tour, Review, and interview

COBBLE CAVERN by Erik Olsen.

Welcome to this stop for the COBBLE CAVERN blog tour, hosted by Cedar Fort Books. This middle grade read was quite fun. I enjoyed the characters and the idea is very creative. As a fan of Ireland (it's on my list to visit someday), it was fun to get a creative/fantasy side to it. My only beef with the story was it took to long to get to the cavern. Once they were there, the story picked up and moved at a more comfortable pace. I understand the world building in it, but for me it was just slow to start off with. I am curious about the next book in the series and I can recommend it to any and everyone out there that loves a good adventure.

:):):)

What starts out to be a fun field trip to Ireland for Flin and his school debate team turns into a life changing adventure when their bus ends up in an earthquake. Flin and his teammates get swallowed deep into the earth and become trapped under the ocean inside a clear dome where they discover an unknown civilization. Now they must fight their way back to the surface if they ever want to see home again. Join Flin and his classmates on a journey of a lifetime in this thrilling adventure story.

Good question, no, great question! I really can’t say I always wanted to be a writer. The truth be told, one day, in the middle of the day, I had this, so I thought amazing dream that I just had to write down. One thing led to another and the dream’s now a series of books called, “Flin’s Destiny”.

Who inspires you?

My family mostly, and then there’s the kids that read my books and ask when the next book is going to be coming out. They have so much energy and excitement for what might happen next that it helps to fuel me.

What would you like your readers to get out of your writing?

That we, by our actions and deeds, truly become our own destiny. We, through life’s experiences and challenges by our choices are the ones who create ourselves and where we will ultimately end up.

Where did this idea come from?

I almost feel I can’t take full credit for it, because it was the most surreal dream I have ever had. And I must say, a crucial time in my life as well.

Who was your favorite character to develop?

Another great question, and this may seem odd, but Mr. Sump. Somehow early on he added a little zip to the book.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Don’t worry about the beginning or the end of your story; if you have any desire to write and a great story within you that needs to be told, just start tapping at the keys and the story will take care of itself.

What can we expect next from you?

Well, “Garden of the Lost Souls,” is the second book in the series and comes out in July, so that will be next. But, I’ve already written four of the books in the series, and am near the end of the concluding book, book five.

Where can we purchase your book?

Thanks for asking. To my best knowledge, Deseret Book, Seagull Book, Barnes & Noble, and Costco. I believe the first book, “Cobble Cavern” will be out sometime around April 10th.